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The Ice Sheet: Instigator Won't Sideline Malkin for Game 3

Eric McErlain — 2009-06-01T00:35:00 00:00

Filed under: Penguins, Red Wings, NHL Fights

Late in Sunday night's 3-1 Detroit Red Wings victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Pittsburgh forward Maxime Talbot helped set off a melee that could have very well wound up costing him and his teammates dearly if NHL disciplinary czar Colin Campbell had followed the letter of the law when it comes to the infamous instigator penalty.

How did it happen? With only 19 seconds left and Pittsburgh pressing to score with an extra attacker, Evgeni Malkin let go with a slapshot from the right wing faceoff circle that was handled pretty easily by Detroit goaile Chris Osgood.

Then, after the whistle had blown, Talbot jabbed at the puck, hitting Osgood in the chest. Whether Osgood was actually hurt or not, he fell to the ice, and his teammates came to his aid. In all the confusion, a clearly agitated Malkin sought out Detroit center Henrik Zetterberg, perhaps to exact some payback for the way he has been shadowing Sidney Crosby throughout the first two games of the series. The video is after the jump.

Red Wings 3, Penguins 1: Recap | Box Score
Red Wings Lead Series 2-0

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Capitals Strike Back on Steroid Report

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-27T15:30:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, NHL Police Blotter, NHL Rumors

Wednesday afternoon, the NHL and the Washington Capitals issued statements in response to allegations made Tuesday night by a man arrested for possession of steroids that he had sold performance-enhancing drugs to members of the Capitals and Washington Nationals.

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Suspect in Florida Steroids Bust Implicates Capitals and Nationals

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-27T01:19:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, NHL Police Blotter, NHL Rumors

Late on Tuesday night in Florida, law enforcement authorities announced the arrest of a suburban Tampa couple on multiple counts of possession with intent to distribute illegal steroids. But the news that's going to reverberate around the country, and especially in the nation's capital, is that one of the suspects in the bust is crowing that he's supplied steroids to athletes across a number of professional sports, including to members of the NHL's Washington Capitals and MLB's Washington Nationals.

Update: Capitals, NHL Comment on Allegations

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Viktor Kozlov to Russia?

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-26T14:20:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, NHL Rumors, Russian Hockey

Overnight, we got the news that Washington Capitals center Sergei Fedorov had been offered a contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL, and now RDS.ca and Octagon Sports agent Allan Walsh (through his Twitter feed) are reporting that Fedorov's teammate, forward Viktor Kozlov, also an impending free agent, will soon sign a contract with Salavat Ufa of the KHL. Details were not disclosed.

This is not the first report that tagged Kozlov as heading back to Russia. A little less than two weeks ago, Russian-language outlet Sports Daily (translated by Japers' Rink), reported that both Salavat and SKA St. Petersburg were interested in bringing Kozlov back to his homeland.

Kozlov, a veteran of 14 NHL seasons who joined the Capitals as a free agent before the 2007-08 campaign, has spent a good part of his stint in Washington working as a right wing on the team's top line with Alex Ovechkin. In two seasons, he had 29 goals and 66 assists and was +19.

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Report: Fedorov to Return to Russia

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-26T09:55:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, NHL Rumors, Russian Hockey

As was relayed late last night by Sean Leahy at Puck Daddy, Russia's Sport Express is reporting that Washington Capitals free agent center Sergei Fedorov won't re-sign with the club, and will instead opt for a two-year deal with the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk for $3.8 million per season.

The report, if accurate -- and that's always a question in situations like these -- would come as something of a disappointment to Washington's fan base, as Fedorov became a local favorite after being imported from Columbus at the trade deadline in 2008.

More or less rescued from obscurity with the Blue Jackets by the deal, Fedorov quickly developed solid relationships in the locker room, especially with his younger Russian teammates, wingers Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. That was in obvious evidence at the 2008 IIHF World Championship when the three played together on a line that dominated the tournament offensively, while leading Russia to a gold medal.

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The Ice Sheet: NHL May Adjust Finals Schedule

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-25T11:00:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Blackhawks, Hurricanes, Penguins, Red Wings, NHL Media Watch

Just a few hours after the league announced its tentative schedule for the Stanley Cup Finals on May 22, it's safe to say a number of hockey fans weren't exactly happy.

Why? Thanks to the demands of television, specifically the requirements of the NHL's broadcast television partner, NBC, the league was looking at a Finals start date of as late as June 5 unless both respective conference finals were decided by four-game sweeps. Once the Blackhawks managed to win Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, that possibility was closed, and the prospect of a lengthy layoff after a lackluster third round had become a certainty.

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The Ice Sheet: Return of 'Cane Season

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-18T10:00:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Hurricanes, Penguins

It must be tough to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan. Consider this for a moment: twice in the last seven years the franchise formerly known as the Hartford Whalers has fought its way to the Stanley Cup Finals -- winning it all in the first year after the lockout in 2006 -- only to miss the playoffs the following two seasons.

In any other market, such a performance would be devastating. But in a non-traditional market like Raleigh, North Carolina, it very well could have been fatal. A Stanley Cup is supposed to cement a team's place in the heart of a community that it calls home, but runs like the team had in 2002 and 2006 were supposed to be performances to build on to fill the build, not memories to fall back on with failure just around the corner.

That a team with such a recent championship on its resume finished 21st overall in attendance this season has to be considered something of an embarrassment.

But here the Hurricanes are again, like the NHL's version of Hailey's comet, just four games from a third trip the Finals in the last six NHL seasons, with only the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the way. Granted, that's one heck of an obstacle, but it still begs the question: how the heck did it happen?

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Caps Implode, Penguins Advance to Eastern Conference Finals

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-13T23:38:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins, NHL Press Box

WASHINGTON -- After watching the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals play six of the most tightly-contested playoff games in recent memory, just about every last one of the 18,277 fans who showed up at Verizon Center on Wednesday night were probably expecting yet another nail-biter between two teams that couldn't be more evenly matched.

What they got instead was a 6-2 blowout win by Pittsburgh.

How did it happen? Simply put, the Penguins put their foot on the gas early and didn't let up.

Penguins 6, Capitals 2: Recap | Box Score

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Penguins Rout Capitals in Game 7

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-13T20:40:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins

WASHINGTON -- Here in Washington what was a hotly anticipated Game 7 has turned into a rout, as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals 6-2. Pittsburgh jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Sidney Crosby (on the power play) and Craig Adams only 18 seconds apart during a period where they outshot Washington 18-5.

More Coverage: Recap | Box Score
Whitley: Hockey Will Never Go Mainstream

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The Ice Sheet: I've Been Here Before

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-11T10:00:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Rangers

As the puck squirted past goalie Simeon Varlamov, giving the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of their second round playoff series on Saturday night, part of me expected to feel crushed. After all, this series marks the eighth time the two teams have met in the postseason, with Pittsburgh taking six of the previous seven meetings. Now, after watching the Caps take the opening two games on home ice, the Penguins have roared back and now hold a 3-2 series lead going into Game 6 tonight back in Pittsburgh.

So why am I not crushed? Simply put, I have passed this way before, and the feeling is all too familiar.

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Malkin Overtime Winner Gives Pittsburgh 3-2 Series Lead

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-09T23:32:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Rangers, NHL Press Box

Just a few minutes ago as he sat at a podium following his team's 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was obvious that Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau was more angry than heartbroken.

Who could blame him? Washington, a team that got two goals from the best player in the world, Alex Ovechkin, had played its most complete game of the series, yet still couldn't find a way to win.

In the end, this game turned on two sequences on either end of the ice in the overtime period. The first came early in the period when Washington center Dave Steckel, one of his team's more consistent performers, couldn't put the puck into an open net early. The second came just a few minutes later, as an Evgeni Malkin pass intended for Sidney Crosby deflected off the stick of sprawling Capitals defenseman Tom Poti and through the legs of a stunned Simeon Varlamov.

Penguins 4, Capitals 3: Recap | Box Score | Saturday's Scores

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Cablevision to Explore Sale of Garden, Knicks, Rangers and Liberty

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-08T00:28:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Rangers, NHL Economics

Credit Ken Belson at the New York Times for digging an interesting nugget from the depths of the latest earnings report from Cablevision: the entertainment conglomerate is exploring a spinoff of Madison Square Garden and all of its entertainment holdings -- including the NBA's Knicks, the NHL's Rangers and the WNBA Liberty.

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Caps Irate Over Locker Room Footage

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-07T19:35:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins, NHL Press Box

As was first reported by Dan Steinberg at DC Sports Bog last night, both the CBC and Versus aired some video footage last night during the pre-game show before Game 3 of the Caps-Penguins series that featured a shot of a dry erase board listing the team's "keys to victory." While nothing earth-shattering was revealed -- "Don't let Crosby/Malkin have any room," is hardly a state secret -- that didn't stop Washington head coach Bruce Boudreau and general manager George McPhee from expressing their displeasure to the press Thursday while announcing they won't be allowing any locker room access to camera crews before Game 4.

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Police Investigate Ovechkin Death Threat

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-07T16:36:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins

Is it possible for a playoff series to become overheated? We may very well have reached that point in the second round clash between the Capitals and the Penguins, now that a local television station in Pittsburgh is reporting that police there are investigating a death threat against Washington winger Alex Ovechkin.

Update: Police Trace Death Threat to 17-Year-Old

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Kris Letang Gives Pens New Life in OT

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-06T22:25:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins

When most of us got out of bed Wednesday morning, we probably didn't expect to see Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang in the lineup for the Penguins that night, not after the way he left the ice in obvious pain during Game 2 in Washington. But whatever vitamins they're feeding the players in Pittsburgh, they worked on Letang.

He gutted out three-plus periods before scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Penguins a needed win in Game 3 of their second round series with the Caps, cutting Washington's series lead to 2-1.

Penguins 3, Capitals 2: Recap | Box Score | Wednesday's Scores
Jokinen Scores Another Huge Goal in 'Canes Win

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Caps and Penguins Head to Overtime

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-06T21:35:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins, NHL Videos

After 60 tense and agonizing minutes, the Caps and Penguins are tied 2-2 at the end of regulation in Pittsburgh. What are tonight's storylines? For the Pens, it's been the reawakening of Evgeni Malkin. His fantastic wrist shot gave the Pens the lead with a little less than five minutes to go.

For Washington, it's been Simeon Varlamov's stellar play in net, Nicklas Backstrom's game-tying power play goal inside of the last two minutes and a crazy goal by Alex Ovechkin in the first period. See you when it's all over.

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Kovalchuk: Caps Will Make the Finals

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-05T15:40:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Rangers, NHL Videos, Russian Hockey

Here's Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers holding forth on why the Washington Capitals are going to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Kovalchuk is currently in Switzerland playing with the Russian national team in the 2009 IIHF World Championship.

Thanks to our buddy Dmitry Chesnokov, Washington correspondent for Sovetsky Sport, for passing along the video.

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Ovechkin's Trick Tops Crosby's, Pens

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-04T23:45:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins, NHL Press Box

WASHINGTON -- For those of you who are tired of all they hype around the Alex Ovechkin-Sidney Crosby clash in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I have bad news.

You better get ready for more. A whole lot more.

In a duel that evoked memories of the titanic struggles between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the NBA playoffs back in the 1980s, Crosby and Ovechkin answered each other all night long, goal for goal, until each player had a hat trick of his own.

But while both superstars sought to carry their teammates on their backs, it was Ovechkin who got the extra help he needed from rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov and third-line center Dave Steckel that made the difference in a 4-3 Washington win.

Capitals 4, Penguins 3: Recap | Box Score

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The Ice Sheet: The Playoff Agony of the Long Distance Driver

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-04T10:00:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins

Normally, I would have spent last Saturday afternoon sitting in the press box at Verizon Center to cover Game 1 of the semifinal series between the Capitals and the Penguins. To say this game has been eagerly awaited by most of the hockey world would be an incredible understatement, and as I outlined on Friday over at The Sporting Blog, I was as excited as anyone else to finally get to see these two teams have at it over the course of a seven-game series.

But alas, on this of all days, a family commitment would require me to travel to Long Island while Game 1 was being played 200+ miles away back in Washington. And from what I gathered from reading emails, Twitter feeds and just old fashioned talking with my friends on the phone (imagine that), I wasn't going to be the only one similarly indisposed on the first weekend in the month of May.

Then again, all I needed to do was hit the road on Friday night, and I'd still be able to watch significant chunks of the game on Saturday before a command performance with the family later on Saturday afternoon. In short, I had it all worked out, or so it seemed at the time.

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King James Hooks Up Alex Ovechkin

Eric McErlain — 2009-05-01T20:14:00 00:00

by Eric McErlain

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins, Russian Hockey

Early last week when ESPN's E:60 aired a segment on the fast life of Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, it was hard not to be struck by a brief and absolutely incongruous appearance by LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. As my friend Greg Wyshynski wrote at the time, it seemed to be something of a reach, even for the WWL, as if they needed to include a clip of James in order to interest any NBA fans who might be watching.

Ovechkin and James met up the last time the Cavaliers were in town to play the Wizards, and Ovechkin took the opportunity to present James with one of his jerseys. At the time, James was a bit chagrined that he didn't have one to give Ovechkin in return, but that oversight was corrected Friday when Caps owner Ted Leonsis strode into the team's practice facility in Northern Virginia with one of the NBA wunderind's jerseys in hand, complete with a personal autograph: "To Alexander the Great: Keep up the good work. King James."

In other news, Sidney Crosby's LeBron jersey is still on back order from Mitchell and Ness. Just like mine.

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